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1993–94 Houston Rockets season

Tod Leiweke (August 1993 – January 1994)
Bob Weinhauer Home Sports Entertainment (Bill Worrell, Calvin Murphy) (Gene Peterson, Jim Foley) (Defeated Knicks 4–3)

The 1993–94 Houston Rockets season was the 27th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association, and their 23rd season in Houston, Texas. The Rockets had the 24th overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft, and selected point guard Sam Cassell out of Florida State University, and acquired Mario Elie from the Portland Trail Blazers during the off-season.

The Rockets got off to a great start, winning their first fifteen games of the regular season to tie the 1948–49 Washington Capitols for the best unbeaten record to open a season, while also posting a 14–0 record in November, before the Golden State Warriors surpassed it in 2015, and the Cleveland Cavaliers tied the Rockets' mark in 2024. After losing their first regular season game to the Atlanta Hawks, a 133–111 road loss at the Omni Coliseum on December 3, 1993, the Rockets won their next seven games as well, falling just one victory shy of tying the 1969–70 Knicks, (23–1) for the best record with one defeat in NBA history.

However, the Rockets would slow down as the season progressed, at one point losing four games in a row in January. Still, they held a 34–12 record at the All-Star break, and finished in first place in the Midwest Division with a 58–24 record, a franchise record that stood until the 2017-18 team recorded their 59th win; the Rockets earned the second seed in the Western Conference.

Hakeem Olajuwon averaged 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 3.7 blocks per game, and was named the NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year, ahead of David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs, and Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls; Olajuwon was also named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, also beating out Robinson by a narrow 23 to 22 votes. He was also named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.

In addition, Otis Thorpe averaged 14.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, while Vernon Maxwell provided the team with 13.6 points, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and also led them with 120 three-point field goals, despite shooting .298 in three-point percentage, Kenny Smith contributed 11.6 points and 4.2 assists per game, and second-year forward Robert Horry provided with 9.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Off the bench, Elie played a sixth man role averaging 9.3 points per game, while Cassell provided with 6.7 points and 2.9 assists per game, Scott Brooks contributed 5.2 points per game, and Carl Herrera averaged 4.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Olajuwon was selected for the 1994 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team, while Cassell was selected for the inaugural NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Phenoms team. Elie finished tied in sixth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, while head coach Rudy Tomjanovich finished in fourth place in Coach of the Year voting.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1994 NBA playoffs, the Rockets faced off against the 7th–seeded Portland Trail Blazers, a team that featured All-Star guard Clyde Drexler, All-Star forward Clifford Robinson, and Rod Strickland. The Rockets won the first two games over the Trail Blazers at home at The Summit, before losing Game 3 on the road, 118–115 at the Memorial Coliseum. The Rockets won Game 4 over the Trail Blazers on the road, 92–89 to win the series in four games.

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 3rd–seeded Phoenix Suns, who were led by the All-Star trio of Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, and three-point specialist Dan Majerle. The Rockets lost the first two games to the Suns at The Summit, but managed to win the next two games on the road at the America West Arena to even the series. The Rockets won Game 5 at home, 109–86, but then lost Game 6 on the road, 103–89 as the Suns tied the series at 3–3. The Rockets won Game 7 over the Suns at The Summit, 104–94 to win in a hard-fought seven-game series.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Rockets then faced off against the 5th–seeded Utah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Karl Malone, All-Star guard John Stockton, and Jeff Hornacek. The Rockets won the first two games over the Jazz at The Summit, before losing Game 3 on the road, 95–86 at the Delta Center. After winning Game 4 on the road, 80–78, the Rockets won Game 5 over the Jazz at The Summit, 94–83 to win the series in five games, and advance to the NBA Finals.

In the 1994 NBA Finals, the Rockets faced off against the 2nd–seeded New York Knicks, who were led by the All-Star trio of Patrick Ewing, John Starks and Charles Oakley. The Rockets took a 2–1 series lead, but the Knicks managed to win the next three games at Madison Square Garden, defeating the Rockets in Game 5, 91–84 to take a 3–2 series lead. However, the Rockets won the next two games at The Summit, including a Game 7 home win over the Knicks, 90–84, thus winning in a hard-fought seven-game series, and winning their first ever NBA championship in franchise history; Olajuwon was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.

This was the Rockets' third NBA Finals appearance, after 1981 and 1986. Olajuwon was the only player from the 1985–86 Rockets team to still be on the 1993–94 team. By winning the Finals MVP award, Olajuwon also became the first player ever to win regular season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in the same season. The Rockets also became the first team from the Midwest Division since the Milwaukee Bucks, 23 years prior to win the NBA title.

Draft

Main article: 1993 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College / Club
1	24	Sam Cassell	Guard	United States	Florida State
2	46	Richard Petruška	Center	United States	UCLA
2	50	Marcelo Nicola	Forward		Taugres (Spain)

Roster

Rudy Tomjanovich
Bill Berry
Jim Boylen
Carroll Dawson

Regular season

Season standings

Game log

Regular season

Playoffs

Interruption of Game 5 NBA Finals telecast by O. J. Simpson car chase

During Game 5 (June 17, 1994), most NBC affiliates (with the noted exception being WNBC-TV out of New York City) split the coverage of the game between NFL Hall of Famer O. J. Simpson's slow-speed freeway chase with the LAPD. At the time, Simpson had been an NFL analyst on NBC. A visibly confused and distraught Bob Costas (NBC's anchor for their NBA Finals coverage) said during the telecast from Madison Square Garden that the Simpson situation was "not just tragic but now surreal".

Player statistics

Regular season

GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
73	0	16.8	.491	.377	.871	1.4	2.0	.70	.03	5.2
65	0	11.2	.345	.325	.769	1.3	1.0	.22	.09	3.5
66	6	17.0	.418	.295	.841	2.0	2.9	.89	.11	6.7
2	0	15.0	.250	.000	.000	6.0	.0	.00	.00	2.0
67	8	24.0	.446	.335	.860	2.7	3.1	.75	.12	9.3
75	0	17.2	.458	.000	.711	3.8	.5	.43	.35	4.7
81	81	29.3	.459	.324	.732	5.4	2.9	1.47	.93	9.9
3	0	26.0	.500	.364	.500	5.0	2.3	.00	.00	10.3
75	73	34.3	.389	.298	.749	3.1	5.1	1.67	.27	13.6
80	80	41.0	.528	.421	.716	11.9	3.6	1.60	3.71	27.3
22	0	4.2	.435	.467	.750	1.4	.0	.09	.14	2.4
47	2	4.7	.486	.000	.541	1.3	.2	.11	.19	1.9
6	0	9.2	.500	.250	.375	1.7	1.0	1.17	.00	4.2
78	78	28.3	.480	.405	.871	1.8	4.2	.76	.05	11.6
82	82	35.5	.561	.000	.657	10.6	2.3	.80	.34	14.0

Playoffs

GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
5	0	4.6	.833	1.000	.000	.4	.6	.00	.00	2.2
10	0	5.5	.211	.200	.750	1.0	.0	.10	.20	1.6
22	0	21.7	.394	.378	.865	2.7	4.2	.95	.23	9.4
10	0	10.0	.800	.000	1.000	2.9	.2	.10	.20	1.8
23	0	16.6	.396	.313	.851	1.7	1.7	.35	.13	5.8
16	0	15.5	.534	.000	.813	2.8	.2	.31	.19	4.7
23	23	33.8	.434	.382	.765	6.1	3.6	1.52	.87	11.7
11	0	5.6	.250	.231	.000	.8	.6	.18	.00	1.2
23	23	38.3	.376	.326	.685	3.5	4.2	.87	.09	13.8
23	23	43.0	.519	.500	.795	11.0	4.3	1.74	4.00	28.9
23	23	30.3	.455	.447	.808	2.3	4.1	.96	.17	10.8
23	23	37.1	.572	.500	.567	9.9	2.3	.57	.43	11.3

Player statistics citation:

Award winners

Houston Rockets	year=1993–94	border=2}};" width="20%"
Hakeem Olajuwon	NBA Player of the Week	November 15, 1993
March 21, 1994
NBA Player of the Month	November 1993
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
NBA All-Defensive First Team
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
All-NBA First Team
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
Rudy Tomjanovich	NBA Coach of the Month	November 1993

Transactions

Trades

August 2, 1993	To Houston RocketsMario Elie	To Portland Trail Blazers1995 POR second-round pick

Additions

Houston Rockets	year=1993–94	border=2}};" width="5%"	Date	Houston Rockets	year=1993–94	border=2}};" width="10%"	Player	Houston Rockets	year=1993–94	border=2}};" width="10%"	Former team	Houston Rockets	year=1993–94	border=2}};" width="1%" class="unsortable"	Ref.

Subtractions

Houston Rockets	year=1993–94	border=2}};" width="5%"
July 1, 1993	Kennard Winchester	Waived
August 2, 1993	Sleepy Floyd	Waived
November 1, 1993	Dave Jamerson	Waived
November 2, 1993	Ashraf Amaya	Waived

References

"1993-94 Houston Rockets Roster and Stats".
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"1993 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.
(August 3, 1993). "Rockets Release Floyd, Trade Pick for Elie". Los Angeles Times.
(October 31, 1993). "Team-by-Team Look at the NBA for the 1993-94 Season". Los Angeles Times.
(November 5, 1993). "Houston Rockets". Chicago Tribune.
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(December 3, 2021). "NBA Teams That Went Unbeaten for a Full Month". HoopsHype.
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(December 22, 1993). "PRO BASKETBALL; Buzzer-Beating Shot Makes Rockets 22-1". The New York Times.
(December 22, 1993). "NBA ROUNDUP : Rockets Get a Lift from Maxwell, 90-88". Los Angeles Times.
(December 22, 1993). "Maxwell Perks Up Rockets". The Washington Post.
"NBA Games Played on February 10, 1994". Basketball-Reference.
"1993–94 Houston Rockets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
Thomas Jr., Robert McG.. (May 25, 1994). "PRO BASKETBALL; Rockets' Olajuwon Named Most Valuable Player". The New York Times.
Heisler, Mark. (May 25, 1994). "Patience Pays Off for Rockets' Olajuwon: Pro Basketball: Two Years After Furor Involving Team Owner, He Becomes the First Center Since 1983 to Be Voted the League's Most Valuable Player". Los Angeles Times.
"NBA MVP & ABA Most Valuable Player Award Winners". Basketball-Reference.
(May 10, 1994). "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Olajuwon Named N.B.A.'s Top Defender". The New York Times.
(May 10, 1994). "Olajuwon Honored". The Washington Post.
"NBA & ABA Defensive Player of the Year Award Winners". Basketball-Reference.
"1993–94 Houston Rockets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
Taylor, Phil. (February 14, 1994). "The NBA".
(September 13, 2021). "1994 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
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(February 12–13, 1994). "Basketball". Bangor Daily News.
"1994 NBA Rising Stars: Phenoms 74, Sensations 68". Basketball-Reference.
(May 13, 1994). "Sixth Man Voting". The Dispatch.
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(May 26, 1994). "Wilkens Wins Coach of Year". The Washington Post.
(May 7, 1994). "PRO BASKETBALL; Rockets Oust Trail Blazers". The New York Times.
(May 7, 1994). "NBA PLAYOFFS: Tune-up Over, Knicks Ready for Bulls". Los Angeles Times.
"1994 NBA Western Conference First Round: Trail Blazers vs. Rockets". Basketball-Reference.
(May 12, 1994). "PRO BASKETBALL; Suns Stage a Record Comeback". The New York Times.
(May 12, 1994). "Suns Blister Rockets with Record Rally: NBA Playoffs: Barkley Scores 34 as Phoenix Overcomes 20-Point Deficit in Final Quarter to Take 2-0 Lead in Series". Los Angeles Times.
(May 12, 1994). "Down 20 in 4th Quarter, Suns Rally to Win in O.T.". Deseret News.
Howe Verhovek, Sam. (May 22, 1994). "PRO BASKETBALL; Rockets Give Houston Victory as Big as Texas". The New York Times.
Baker, Chris. (May 22, 1994). "The Future Is Now for Barkley, 104-94: Pro Basketball: After Rockets Eliminate Suns, He Says He Will Retire if Doctors Say He Needs Major Back Surgery to Keep Playing". Los Angeles Times.
"1994 NBA Western Conference Semifinals: Suns vs. Rockets". Basketball-Reference.
Rhoden, William C.. (June 1, 1994). "PRO BASKETBALL; Rockets Beat Jazz and Reach Finals". The New York Times.
Heisler, Mark. (June 1, 1994). "Rockets Now Rest and Wait: Pro Basketball: Houston Controls Game Early and Wraps Up Series with a 94-83 Victory Over Jazz. NBA Finals Next". Los Angeles Times.
"1994 NBA Western Conference Finals: Jazz vs. Rockets". Basketball-Reference.
Schabner, Dean. (June 18, 1994). "Knicks 91, Rockets 84". United Press International.
Brown, Clifton. (June 19, 1994). "N.B.A. FINALS; Knicks Take a Deep Breath at Hint of a Title in Air". The New York Times.
Justice, Richard. (June 19, 1994). "Knicks See Light at End of Championship Tunnel". The Washington Post.
Brown, Clifton. (June 23, 1994). "N.B.A. FINALS; Rockets Hit the Heights as Champions". The New York Times.
Howard-Cooper, Scott. (June 23, 1994). "Rockets Follow Their Leader to First NBA Championship: Pro Basketball: Olajuwon Shows the Way, Leading Houston to 90-84 Victory over Knicks in Game 7". Los Angeles Times.
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Sandomir, Richard. (June 19, 1994). "NBC Angered Some Fans with Its Simpson Coverage". The New York Times.
Cerone, Daniel. (June 22, 1994). "TV Ratings: Arresting Coverage Deflates NBC's NBA Numbers". Los Angeles Times.

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